Le Velo Rouge

Le Velo Rouge is a human powered mobile stage for Bond Street Theatre's tales of adventure, collaboration and outreach working in conflict zones around the world, most recently in Myanmar, Afghanistan and Haiti.

Our monster trike (adored by children of all ages) appears in parades, pageants and events in the tri-state area, and is expected to soon be an actor in BST's future full-stage performances.

Le Velo Rouge was realized through the generous support of the Edith Luytens and Norman Bel Geddes Foundation, a program of A.R.T./New York. We thank Frank's Kitchens in Philadelphia for its construction and Greg Shikhman for recent upgrades.

FAQ'sWow! Who made this thing, and why?!!Bond Street Theatre's Shinbone Alley Stilt Band (yes, we are a band on stilts) frequently performs in parades and community events, and we dreamed of having a "support vehicle" to accompany the band. We received a grant from the Norman Bel Geddes Foundation to commission the welding-torch geniuses of Frank's Kitchens in Fishtown, Philadelphia to realize our dream. We had no idea we were dreaming so big. Or heavy. (You can check out the artistry of Frank's Kitchenshere)

How big is this thing?Fully assembled Le Velo Rouge is 9 feet long, 6 feet wide and 6 feet high, and weighs in at about 400 lbs. ​What is this... that... the other thing... made from?

The tires are 36" municipal water pipe sections with mountain bike tire-rubber riveted in place.

The hubs are off-road ATV parts, as is most of the axel assembly.

The brake is a Suzuki motorcycle caliper.

There are 14 gears from standard bike parts.

LVR steers via the rear wheel, controlled by the crank to the left of the pilot.

I want Le Velo Rouge at my party... parade... event! How do I get it there?Call/email our chief mechanic and programming guru Michael McGuigan at 212-254-4614 and/orMichael@bondst.org.

I want to display Le Velo Rouge in my lobby / gallery / storefront. Can I?You bet! By hosting LVR in your space you will most certainly call attention to your mission as well as ours. You will also be saving us valuable program money that we'd have to spend on storage. We would need access to move LVR out and back for its event appearances, and we'd need to keep it and the public safe while on display, but we can work this out in detail. Contact Michael McGuigan at 212-254-4614 and/or Michael@bondst.org.